Building a musical instrument by hand is difficult to say the least. That’s why it’s so impressive that Ken, a novice at the craft, was able to make such a stunning carbon fiber violin on his own. Ken also documented the steps of this carbon fiber creation on www.instructables.com.

Taking him 10 months of Sundays, Ken started by making detailed drawings of the violin. His plans were translated into plaster and fiberglass molds. It took Ken a lot of time to produce the best sounding violin plates. When he started fabricating the carbon fiber violin plates, Ken tested each revision’s “tap tones” until he go the right sound.

Although composite materials fabrication has been around for decades, few resources exist that detail the “how to” aspect of a good fabrication. Publications that cover the subject of composite materials often dive into the technical and mathematical aspect of the materials and their use. Too often, the typical do-it-yourselfer is alienated and forced to believe that doing a composite material fabrication is too complicated. This simply isn’t true. Granted, fabrication with composite materials does take skill, knowledge, and mechanical ability, but it is a trade that most people can learn.